Masquerade
by ficdirectory
Summary: AU. Six months after episode 3x04, Emily takes in a foster child on Halloween. Written for bubblexdreams.


_May Jack-o-lanterns burning brightOf soft and golden huePierce through the future's veil and showWhat fate now holds for you._- Author Unknown

Six months after the case in Colorado, Emily was as ready as she would ever be. She'd found time in her already busy schedule to fill out paperwork, take classes, get her home studied and a million other things. And finally - finally - she was set. It had felt odd going to Hotch and requesting time off but she knew there was no way she would be able to be a foster parent to a child when her job was taking her away at all hours, to all corners of the country.

She hadn't told him why, exactly. It was obvious when Emily had asked about Carrie that Hotch wasn't thrilled. He questioned her objectivity. So, for now, she thought it best to leave him out of this. The other guys, too, she didn't feel the need to involve, at least not right away. In fact, only JJ and Garcia knew about it and they had been sworn to secrecy. She had told them privately, and then, without her knowing, both had gone and taken the required classes to be a caregiver for Emily's new children whenever one arrived.

As a single woman, Emily figured she ought to start small and agreed to take anywhere between one and three children, from newborn to eight years old. That, of course, meant she had to be prepared for a wide range of ages. JJ went to garage sales, because Emily insisted that secondhand clothing was just fine. Garcia, of course, couldn't be bothered to follow a request and went completely overboard, supplying certain specialty items like door alarms, specific books, and clothes…so many clothes. And all of them were brand new. Emily couldn't say she minded. It was great to have friends in her life she could count on, especially as she was not close to her own family.

When the call came in the middle of a case, saying that there was a little boy who needed a placement, Emily did not hesitate. She sought out Hotch at the office, and stated that she had a family emergency. She needed to get back to DC and fast.

Emily hadn't realized it until the boy was actually in her house. The fact that Halloween was just ten days away, and she had no pumpkin for this child - and no idea in hell how to carve one. Her parents had been too busy to bother with such frivolous things. She makes a mental note to figure out where she might find one after she determines whether or not she will be able to trust this kid enough to do such a project with him.

It happened so quickly. Emily was alone - a single woman - without even a cat to call her own - and then she wasn't. Her son - who wasn't really hers at all - was named Jesse. His social worker said he was five years old. Jesse, himself, didn't speak or even breathe in a way that made noise.

Emily tried engaging him. She asked him if he would like to come into the kitchen. She had some lunch ready. Jesse eyed her suspiciously with startling blue eyes. He had a mixed complexion, a little lighter than Morgan's but darker than her own. He had long, greasy dreads that hung around his face and an unfortunate odor. His only clothes - in a plastic grocery bag - emitted a moldy stench and Emily made a note not to touch them. It was a good thing she was prepared with clothing for any age child, because Jesse was going to need it. He had been found wandering outside in nothing but a long tee shirt and underclothes, despite the temperature plummeting below freezing at night.

When they were alone, Emily had no idea what to do with him. She was unashamed to admit to herself that she was clueless. It didn't matter how many classes she took, nothing adequately prepared her for the sight of this Tarzan-like child, with his long hair and hostile eyes. Nothing prepared her for his tiny size. For his total silence. If she hadn't known better, she might assume he was a toddler, not a kindergarten-aged child.

For the first hour, all Jesse did was wander the perimeter of Emily's living room, keeping one hand on the wall. This put a serious kink in Emily's plan to get some food into Jesse and get him cleaned up.

Emily took a deep breath. She could do this. Lots of people were parents. Mothers.

"So, Jesse, let's have some lunch. What do you say?"

It was rhetorical, but there was a tiny whisper. A croak.

"Please?"

Jesse ate three pieces of Emily's homemade pizza, almost instantaneously. It was incredible to see a 28-pound five-year-old put away so much food. She talked to him a little but he shut her out, concentrating on eating. Emily found herself wondering just how much Jesse could understand.

"I want you to feel at home here, okay? You're safe here. Nothing bad is going to happen to you as long as you're with me. It's my job to protect you. Jesse? Can you look at me?"

The briefest flicker of his eyes, before Jesse focused all his attention on the pizza again.

"Can you understand me, honey?" Emily pressed.

Imperceptibly, he shook his head, causing Emily to blink in surprise. "Safe?" Jesse asked in a small voice, after swallowing.

"That means I promise to keep you away from anything that could hurt you," Emily explained patiently, her heart breaking at the honesty in the question…at the fact that this child honestly had never heard the word "safe" before.

"People?" Jesse rasped, eyeing Emily suspiciously, when he dared glance up from his plate.

"I'm sorry?" Emily asked, not understanding.

"People can hurt me. You gonna keep me away from them, too?"

Emily sighed sadly. "I'm really going to try my best."

"What's this thing?" Jesse asked, tapping the pumpkin that Emily was currently using as her centerpiece. Reid had carved an intricate - if disturbing - design involving a witch and a fiery cauldron.

"It's a Jack-o-Lantern. See, this orange part is a pumpkin, which is like a vegetable. And on Halloween, sometimes people like to scoop out the insides and carve designs in them. Stay there, and I'll show you something," Emily said, and stood on a chair to access the cupboard above the sink. She opened the child-proof lock and got out the matches. "These are just for big people, okay? They make fire and fire can hurt you."

Jesse nodded, his blue eyes wide, as Emily took the top off the pumpkin thing like magic and put the fire inside. Then she turned it, so Jesse could see a very scary picture in the pumpkin. He didn't like fire.

"What do you think?" she asked, having returned the matches to their locked cabinet. When Jesse sat, silent and not eating, Emily blew out the candle. "That's okay. It can be a little strange if you haven't seen one before."

Jesse still didn't speak and Emily sighed. This job was tougher than she thought. Give her the FBI and criminals any day. She could read them. But she was lost when it came to this kid.

"Yeah." Emily spoke into the phone. "No, I don't think I'll take him Trick-or-Treating, he was overwhelmed at the idea of Reid's Jack-o-Lantern. I could barely coax him into the tub to wash, but I convinced him with the idea of putting on a costume when he's through." She hauled a box through the house and set it on the floor in front of Jesse who watched her carefully. "I'll have to let you go, JJ, but stop by later. We're making caramel apples. Yeah, Reid, too, but tell him nothing too scary. Actually, it might be best if you came as yourselves."

Emily hung up and took the lid off the large green tote. Inside, there lay Mardi Gras masks and beads, capes and props. Jesse stared.

"Halloween's a special day where kids and grown ups can dress up, if they want," she explained, watching as he carefully fingered a bright red cape, a golden mask and green beads. Emily didn't tell him that Christmas was a few months away. If this was what he chose to wear, then that was fine with her.

Jesse, now dressed in a clean blue sweatshirt with some kind of sponge cartoon character, and gray sweatpants. He laid out his desired items in front of him but made no move to put them on.

"Those are the great!" she praised. "You want me to help you put them on?"

Jesse pulled his lip between his teeth and hesitated. Slowly, he nodded.

Before long, Emily didn't have a little boy, but a superhero in her living room.

JJ and Reid showed up just after dinner, dressed admirably normally in every day clothes. Emily, also, had opted out of dressing up, and was showing Jesse how to lay small sheets of caramel over apples and put them in to bake.

"I got the door!" Jesse bellowed. Somehow, the costume had transformative powers on Emily's new little boy. He was no longer shy and reserved, but loud and fearless. He told Emily he was dressed as Mr. Incredible. Having seen commercials, Emily didn't see the resemblance, but smiled anyway. Make-believe was normal and healthy in a child of this age, and she wasn't about to take that away from a child who had lived through so much.

"Hold on, Mr. Incredible. Answering the door is a big person's job." Emily said.

"But I'm big! Bigger than anything _in the world_!" he bellowed.

"Boy, am I glad you're here, then!" Emily replied, playing along. "I've got an important job for you. Stand right beside me, and listen really carefully, because I'll give you further instructions."

From behind the mask, Jesse nodded, his beads jangling around his neck.

Emily opened the door and smiled, relieved at the sight of her friends in normal clothing. "JJ. Reid. This is Jesse. Jesse, can you say hi? These are my friends." she asked the boy at her side.

He waved, suddenly timid, but JJ and Reid smiled and kept their distance, understanding the need for Jesse not to be overwhelmed by too many new people at once.

JJ met Emily's gaze meaningfully. "Wow…Emily…how did you get so lucky to have your very own superhero move in?"

"Mr. Incredible…" Jesse offered, smiling a little.

"It just so happens that Emily has a secret identity as well…" Reid offered, his tone hushed.

Emily bit her lip, and held her breath, wondering how the hell they figured her out. She had only been here two years, and she had no intention of any of her team figuring out the secrets she was hiding. Double-checking her friends, Emily was glad to see their attention was focused on Jesse.

"Really?" Jesse asked, breathless.

"Yeah," JJ said, playing along. "She's the most amazing mom in the world…and you get to live with her."


End file.
